Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
And then I just… drained those spark people. Took all their spark for myself. It wasn’t even hard. I didn’t even have to get up from the bench seat I was on, holding a dying Clara in my arms.
It just… came to me. Like it knew I needed it, so it just came to me.
I want to go ask Delta about all this shit and what it means. But if he knows it’s happenin’, then fuck him for not speakin’ up in the first place. And if he doesn’t, it’s definitely in my best interest to keep it that way.
Because those last words of his kinda haunt me.
All gods need food.
He thinks Clara is my food.
And she’s not.
I mean, I’m a hundred percent certain I could use her as food.
But I don’t think I’ll ever have to.
Not when I can steal it from anyone, at any time, from any goddamn place I want.
2- CLARA
Ever since I arrived in Delta City my dreams have been mesmerizingly vivid.
I don’t recall ever having thoughts about dreams back in my old Tau City. I know I had them, but I never woke up thinking, Wow! That was cool, or weird, or interesting. But every day—every single morning—I wake up in awe of the pictures, and thoughts, and stories running inside my head while I’m sleeping.
It’s amazing. And entertaining. But also, strange.
Where did all these stories come from? I didn’t read much back in my old life. When I was younger, I did because it was required. But honestly, I wasn’t a book girl. I was a party girl. Looking back, it feels a little shallow. But I was a Spark Maiden for nearly a decade so my life revolved around Spark Maiden duties and there was never an event on my schedule called Book Club.
Though, I do know those clubs existed. The tea party ladies would often talk of them at luncheons, but I never participated in the conversation, nor did I feel left out of it.
The point is, I haven’t been collecting stories in my head. I haven’t had grand adventures like the ones now playing out in my dreams. I mean, aside from the dramatic walk across dimensions and escape from Tau City, that is.
These stories are different. They’re… tales. I dunno. That’s the only way I can describe them. Stories about things that don’t belong to my life here in this world.
So where do they come from?
“What are you thinking about?”
I turn, smiling at the man in bed next to me. “What?”
“I’ve been watching you stare up at the ceiling for the last five minutes. And those faces of consternation are killing me. What is goin’ through that head of yours now?”
My grin grows as I turn on my side so I can see him properly. “Dreams. I was thinking about dreams.”
“What about them?”
“I’ve been having some really good ones.”
His eyebrows go up. “About me?” Then he gives them a waggle.
“Well, yes. But not in the way you’re hoping.”
He’s lying on his back, side eyeing me. “What am I doing, if not charmin’ the pants off ya?”
“It’s an adventure. We’re doing… I dunno. Cool stuff like exploring caves, and fighting rogue factions, and finding treasure. And it’s weird because I was just thinking that I’ve never dreamed like this before. And I don’t know where the stories are coming from.”
“It’s the trip. We’re leaving today so you’re… apprehensive, maybe.”
“Yeah, probably. It’s just… the details, Tyse. They’re so intense, and rich, and colorful. It’s like I’m really there.”
“Hmmm,” he hums. I like this sound he makes. It’s something between a rumble and a growl. “Tell me about one of them.”
“OK.” I pause to think. “Well, the one I just woke up from was about a ship.”
“Like a godship?”
“Yeah. Which is weird, right? Because I haven’t even seen one yet.”
“They’re few and far between. Very few were made and even fewer have survived. Delta only has two and they’re almost never in the harbor.”
“Right. So how did all these details just appear in my head about godships? Because I can see the sails, and the ropes, and the decking. And down below, there’s living quarters. Like this apartment, but inside a boat! Isn’t that crazy?”
He rolls over onto his side, reaching for me. The next thing I know, I’m right up against his chest, looking up into his blue eyes. They’re glowing—they’re almost always glowing now—but not brightly. “You’ve got a good imagination, I guess.”
“Maybe. Maybe one day I’ll see one and I’ll laugh, because they don’t look anything like how I imagined. But it would be crazy if they did.”
“Completely crazy,” he says. And then he’s kissing me and I forget all about dreams and godships, and think only about the man in bed with me now.
My one.
He’s my one.
And this adventure we’re starting today is going to be the experience of a lifetime.